Consent is essential in all sexual interactions — every single time. To consent, a person needs to be legally old enough and sober enough to say yes. Ask first.
The rise of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have put an unprecedented focus on the issue of what is acceptable sexual behaviour.
We are starting to move away from the idea that consent can be implied or inferred, towards a pure affirmation model, where only an enthusiastic ‘yes’ means yes.
Consent is essential in all sexual interactions — every single time. To consent, a person needs to be legally old enough and sober enough to say yes. Ask first.
In a healthy sexual encounter, both parties should feel comfortable communicating their needs without feeling fearful or coerced.
If you’ve been sexually assaulted, you can get help and support from services like 1800 RESPECT. They provide telephone and online counselling that is guided by you – your needs and your feelings – about what is right for you and your situation.
If you would like to speak to a counsellor, you can call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or use online counselling.
Every year, between November 25 — the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — and December 10 — International Human Rights Day — there are 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.
This year we’ve created a series of posters for you to print out at work, home or your local library, and to put up in your kitchen, community hall, meeting room at work — wherever you like. Help create a world where women, nonbinary and gender-diverse people are safe, respected, empowered and able to make genuine choices in their lives.
Violence towards women, nonbinary and gender-diverse people is a community problem. Everyone in the community, from schools to sporting clubs, can play a role in changing the structures, norms and practices that lead to gender-based violence.
Some of these actions will be individual and some will be collective: gender-based violence is a structural issue that we all need to work together to address.